Loaded Mac & Cheese with Colby Jack Cheese Recipe

It sure seems like I’ve been making a lot of macaroni and cheese dishes lately. The problem is that every time I see a new and different one out there, I feel the need to prepare it to see how it compares to the ones I’ve made before. To be fair, they’ve all been outstanding, but I will tell you that I’ve developed a clear preference for the more creamy variety. This one is of that type. With the incorporation of milk, flour and sour cream, this version definitely stands out.

The Recipe

There are tons of mac and cheese recipes on the internet and in cookbooks. It’s the job of whoever is making the dish to decide what style they want to eat. Some recipes are very basic in that they primarily combine only some sort of cheese and pasta. Others are much more complex in that they create a sauce first to melt the cheese into and then add in the pasta later on, after everything is melted wonderfully. Today’s recipe is of the latter variety, so expect a tasty and creamy dish with this one.

This recipe combines butter, flour, milk and sour cream to make a really great tasting sauce. A few other ingredients are added as well, so it truly comes together. Once the sauce is nice and hot, the shredded cheese is added and then the pasta is as well. As a topping, some melted butter, shredded cheese, breadcrumbs and chopped scallions are combined in a bowl and then sprinkled on top of all the other ingredients. After some baking in the oven, a wonderfully creamy and tasty mac and cheese dinner is presented (with a crispy top). This one is pretty awesome. I’ll warn you now though, it’s very filling, so be careful with the portions.

Ingredients

Serves: 10-12

1/4 Cup Butter (+2 Tablespoons Melted)
1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon Garlic, Minced
Salt
1 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 Teaspoon Dry Mustard
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
4 Cups Whole Milk
1 Cup Sour Cream
4 Cups Shredded Colby-Jack Cheese, Divided
1 Pound Cavatappi Pasta, Cooked
4 Tablespoons Scallions, Chopped, Divided
1/2 Cup Bread Crumbs

Step-by-Step Instructions

I’d like to thank Southern Cast Iron for this recipe. I’ve gotten tons of recipes from this resource and have yet to be let down.

Cook the Pasta

Fill a large pot with four quarts of water. Also add in one tablespoon of salt. Bring the water to a boil over high heat and when it’s boiling, add in the pasta. Stir and cook the pasta for 11 minutes or until it’s al dente. When it’s done, strain the pasta through a colander and set aside.

Pre-Heat Oven

Arrange your oven racks so one is in the center position and the other is in the second to top position. Then, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Make the Sauce

Warm a large 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat on your stove top. Add the 1/4 cup of butter to the skillet. Then, add the flour, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, two teaspoons of salt, the dry mustard and ground black pepper to the skillet and cook for about three minutes, stirring occasionally. After that, slowly add in the milk and sour cream and continue to stir for about five minutes. If there are any lumps, try to remove them by pressing them to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Finally, add in three and a half cups of the shredded cheese and stir everything well until the cheese is melted. The sauce is finished at this point, so you can turn off the heat.

Add Pasta & Chives

Go ahead and add the pasta to the skillet, along with two tablespoons of scallions. Mix these ingredients into the sauce.

Add the Topping

In a bowl, combine the melted butter, bread crumbs, remaining shredded cheese and the remaining scallions. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the ingredients in the skillet.

Bake the Macaroni & Cheese

Place the skillet on the center rack in the oven for 20 minutes. After that, turn off the oven heat and turn on the broiler. Transfer the skillet from the center rack to the top rack and keep a very close eye on things. All you need here is about one additional minute, just to get some brown on the bread crumb mixture. Keep opening the oven door to see how things look and when the top is browned, turn off the heat and remove the skillet from the oven. Plate and serve. Enjoy!

The Final Creamy Mac & Cheese

This one was very good. I’d rank it up there with the better macaroni and cheese dinners I’ve tried. I love the topping and the creamy texture is very good. If you decide to give this recipe a try, please let me know in the comment section below. Thanks for reading!